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MY FAVORITE PART OF TEXAS
Our Dripping Springs entertainment options are alive and growing; and it only takes a weekend out and about in the warmer months to realize how broad our live music scene has become. Many of our nearby venues have adopted live music as a staple on their events calendar. Further, being within striking distance of Austin, the live music capital of Texas, we enjoy a steady flow of talent to pick from.
I had the opportunity recently to chat with Meagan Tubb, a talented singer-songwriter who makes her home here in Dripping Springs. I wanted to hear about her journey as a musician, her experience writing and performing in our community, and what’s next for her and her art.
Meagan’s early story mirrors that of many songwriters, emerging from high school talent shows to weekend band gigs in college, then touring throughout the US and even abroad to support an album release. After an early career launch in San Diego, Meagan travelled to Austin, and that was that; she belonged in central Texas. The formation of her band, Meagan Tubb & Shady People soon followed.
Musically, she describes herself as a songwriter first, a performer second. She told me, “You first have to have something to say, then you can find a means to get it out there. Music is definitely an important creative part, but for me, it's there to support the message.” It's obvious that Meagan is a creative soul at heart, as best revealed when she explained, “When performing, there’s like a movie going on in my head; some complicated picture that’s hard to explain. It's even there when I do some guitar solos.”
She classifies herself a multi-genre artist, navigating blues, americana and gospel. If you see Meagan performing, you can’t help but notice her sparkling blue, Les Paul electric guitar. While it was originally chosen simply to be different from the black, white or red Les Pauls that were common, she appreciates that it has now become something of a trademark for her. She made it clear to me that the electric guitar was her first love, and that acoustic came later.
Meagan moved to Dripping Springs in 2011, so knows our community well. She started a family around that same time and recalled for me how she once introduced herself to the head distiller at Treaty Oak one afternoon with a baby in a carrier in one hand and a business card in the other. That encounter led to a backup gig on mother’s day, and frequent shows there in later years.
These days, being a mom is Meagan’s main job, so there are fewer shows with her full band, and solo gigs make up the majority of her performances. When asked about her approach to collaboration with band members, she explained how she usually writes and records on her own, then sends the band a rough recording with the musical elements, i.e. key, chords and signature. Then the group does “woodshed,” meaning intensive practice, before a song is performed for the public. She’s quick to recognize the longevity of key members of her band, and the importance of that chemistry in her musical ecosystem.
Meagan plans for her newest music to be released this upcoming fall, a body of work by her full band, as a nontraditional gospel album. She relishes her most important job in life by referencing, “the momma in me”, when talking about the album. Meagan wants this release to reflect on her faith, and provide a counter balance to the often negative imagery coming at young people through popular music today. She’s excited about one song titled Rise Like Butterflies, a lullaby of sorts, sparked by a moment that many parents have experienced, when her four year old asked her a question about death. Watch for it this fall.
All in, my conversation with Meagan was downright fun. She’s a smart and engaging individual who seems to have cracked the code on balancing motherhood with a music career. We’re lucky to have her as one of our regulars.
Meagan has upcoming performances scheduled in our area. She’ll be at Fitzhugh brewery on August 17th, 2-5PM and at Desert Door, on August 24th, 1-4PM. But to top those, she was also selected for this year’s Songwriters Festival, and will be performing on multiple stages in and around Mercer Street October 18-19.
You can learn more about Meagan Tubb at https://www.reverbnation. com/meagantubb _______________
My Favorite Part of Texas is a recurring column celebrating hill country lifestyle highlighting music, culinary and day trip excursions. Joe Christenson is a native Texan and Dripping Springs resident, having lived and travelled throughout the great state of Texas.
